Bundle Board

ABSTRACT

Keeping all cultures in mind, the present invention, the Bundle Board game, is an exciting guessing game that can be played by an unlimited amount of players each time one is played. The only items that players use to participate in the game are the actual game board, and a writing utensil. The actual game board is made of thick paper or poster board, and it has a game table printed on its surface in the center, which is comprised of columns, rows and column titles. It also has a decorative surface surrounding the game table, and at times even appearing all over the surface including behind the table. 
     The present invention is the only guessing game that encompasses every aspect of the anticipation of the birth of a child or children. The object of the game is to see who guesses the details of an expected baby or babies correctly. As each player takes their turn, they write in their name along with their guesses on the game table. The many Bundle Board variations cater to each purchaser of a Bundle Board, as each purchaser can choose one of the variations depending on what they specifically feel is the most important aspect of the birth of a child, and what they favor in regards to artistic appearance.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the field of guessing games played on a board.

2. Description of the Related Art

There are many games on the market pertaining to babies, but the Bundle Board game is a completely new guessing game, and a whole new concept. The Bundle Board game comes in several variations, which gives a purchaser of a Bundle Board the ability to deliver the game questions how they see fit. After a Bundle Board is purchased players can guess specific details that they predict will be the outcome of an expected baby. Just like the game details the appearance of a Bundle Board involving artwork, color, size, overall style will also comes in several variations. A purchaser of a Bundle Board can also choose to purchase one online, where they can customize their board with the artwork and game style of their choice.

Another feature of the Bundle Board that is new and unique compare to other games pertaining to babies, is that it is not only purchased and played for a baby event (e.g. baby shower), it can be enjoyed throughout the entire nine months of a woman's pregnancy or throughout the waiting period of the arrival of a baby obtained through an adoption. Since a Bundle Board also comes beautifully decorated, it can also be saved, framed or preserved how the purchaser sees fit to act as memorabilia that a family can enjoy forever.

It is an object of the present invention to improve upon existing guessing games by creating a guessing game that is offered in so many variations that it is essentially customized for all types of consumers, has a unique field of play and an overall purpose to celebrate a new life. Games are played for pure enjoyment, and for this reason, new games are always desired.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The bundle board is a guessing game that players(s) fill out throughout the entire pregnancy of a woman, or throughout the waiting period of the arrival of a baby obtained through an adoption. Each player writes their name on the Bundle Board along with what they think will be the specific outcome of an expected baby's arrival based on the game's questions. The Bundle Board is made of thick paper or poster board, and the actual game appears on the surface in the form of a table, which includes columns for the game's questions, and rows for the player's answers. The rest of the surface will be filled with various colors, words, and art work. The purpose of the Bundle Board game is to see if any of the players answer any of the questions correctly. The answers are revealed the day of the baby's arrival. The game of the present disclosure may be understood more readily after a consideration of the drawings and the detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view and illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a game board according to the present disclosure that includes a game table comprised of rows and columns, a title above the table, a caption below the table, and artwork on the board's surface. On the left side of the actual game table, the first column title is labeled: your name, which guides participants to write their name in that column on their own row they are allotted when it is their turn to play. This particular example of a Bundle Board seen in FIG. 1 has five other columns to the right of the column labeled: your name. These five columns are the question columns, making a total of 6 columns on this Bundle Board, but there is no limit as to how many columns a Bundle Board will have. The five columns on this board are labeled as follows: gender, height, weight, birth date and birth time. These are the questions that players will have to guess in regards to the expected baby. In FIG. 1 this particular variation of a Bundle Board has sixteen rows, which are allotted for sixteen players to participate in playing this Bundle Board. Each player is allotted their own row, and when the players take their turn, they will write their name and their answers to the five questions in their own row.

FIG. 1 is an example of a Bundle Board where the expecting parents do not know the gender of the baby. To the left side of the Bundle Board game table, the Bundle Board surface displays seven illustrated icons that have a male orientation and blue shading behind them that represents the baby boy's side. To the right side of the Bundle Board game table the Bundle Board surface displays seven illustrated icons that have a female orientation and pink shading behind them that represents the baby girl's side. Each gender's side has one baby word amongst the illustrated icons. The male's side has the word bottle, and the female's side has the word bib. These two baby words (bottle and bib) are present for decorative purposes only.

FIG. 1 has a title above the Bundle Board game table that reads: What do you think? Each title will vary among the several variations of Bundle Boards. The purpose of the words or phrases above a Bundle Board game table will vary among each variation of a Bundle Board. In FIG. 1 this title, asks a question: What do you think?, which in this case serves to show the purpose of this specific Bundle Board game, which is for players to guess what they think will be the specific outcome of the baby's arrival. FIG. 1 has a bottom caption below the Bundle Board game table that reads: Baby Shower. The purpose of the bottom caption on a Bundle Board surface will also vary on each Bundle Board, but the purpose of this particular caption is to illustrate what occasion the Bundle Board will be played at.

FIG. 2 is the same front perspective view and illustration of an exemplary embodiment of a game board according to the present disclosure, however this Bundle Board Illustration displays a completed version of the Bundle Board in FIG. 1, that was played by sixteen players. It shows the players names along with their guesses to each of the five questions regarding the arrival of an expected baby.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The Bundle Board is a unique invention that ultimately celebrates a new life. The Bundle Board is a beautifully decorated guessing game that participants fill out throughout the pregnancy of a woman, or throughout the waiting period of the arrival of a baby obtained through an adoption. Each player is allotted their own row on the Bundle Board game table, which is where they fill in all their answers. To begin their turn each player writes their name in their allotted row in the column labeled: your name, as shown in FIG. 2.

Each column to the right of the column labeled: your name, has a column question title at the top of it, which is the game question. These titles will vary among Bundle Board game tables, but will always include words or phrases relating to the expected baby's arrival. After each player starts their turn by writing their name they read each word or phrase in the column question title spot. To complete their turn they will write what they think will be the specific outcome of the factor described in the column question title.

A game table may also include a column title, which is not a column question title, and does not ask an actual question that the player has to guess. One example of this would be if the column was labeled: comments for the parents to be. In this case the player has the option to write a comment to the parents, or maybe even a note to the expected baby or the entire family. This allows the player to write their own personal thoughts regarding the topic versus answering a question when they take their turn.

There are several variations of Bundle Board surfaces. Their decorative surfaces may include: different colors, artistic patterns, icons, and sporadically placed words pertaining to the expected baby, babies, or the expecting parents (e.g. bib, bottle) for decorative purposes only as seen in FIG. 1. Some Bundle Board surfaces will have words or phrases that serve as a title above the game table, and a caption below the game table, which will serve different purposes among the different variations. Some examples of these captions and titles could include the following: a date written out to illustrate what date the Bundle Board will be played at, a title of an occasion the board will be played at, a parent's name, or any other words or phrases that may capture a special way to encompass the purpose of the Bundle Board (e.g. It's a Boy!), which is to celebrate a new life. Other Bundle Board variations may have additional artwork on its surface. Bundle Board artwork will have many different decorative themes all pertaining to the arrival of a baby. Some themes include: educational themes, animal themes, sports themes, and any other themes that seem appropriate to the inventor.

The object of the Bundle Board game is for a player to guess the details of the expected baby correctly, which is discovered the day of the baby's arrival.

I. Construction of the Bundle Board

Although the Bundle Board illustrated in FIG. 1 is square and is presented and decorated in this particular way, it is understood that the shape of the board, its artwork, words, phrases, color, board thickness, size, and game details, will appear differently among the many variations of a Bundle Board, and will still fall within the claimed invention. After providing a printing company with the desired variation of a Bundle Board, a Bundle Board will be produced. There are many reasons for the several variations of a Bundle Board, its decorative surface and its game table. Some reasons include the following: if the gender of the expected baby is known or unknown, if the purchaser wants a gender neutral décor, the number of game table rows, which depends on how many participants will be involved with the game over the course of the nine months the mother to be is pregnant, the number of columns, which depends on which questions the parents to be want on their Bundle Board, and the overall decoration of the board including: color, titles, captions, icons, pictures, shape, board size, font size and words, which depends on a consumer's personal taste.

II. Use of a Bundle Board

The Bundle Board could be used by several different people that are affiliated with the mother to be, and may even be used at different events or facilities. A mother to be may buy one to take with her to her job for her co-workers (who are anxiously awaiting the arrival of her baby) to participate in the fun of her expected child. A Bundle Board might be purchased by someone other than the mother to be, and used at a baby shower or baby sprinkle, which is a smaller version of a shower by the guests at the event. Parents to be might only want family to participate in the fun, in which they might purchase a smaller Bundle Board which has less than twenty participant rows, or they may buy one with more than eighty rows because they want everyone they know to fill it out till the day their baby arrives. The variation of a consumer's use of a Bundle Board along with their personal taste is another reason for the many Bundle Board variations including its size. A Bundle Board can be enjoyed and played for months while awaiting the birth of a child and for many years to come as it can also act as a piece of memorabilia.

The game board described above and shown in FIG. 1 illustrates an example of one graphical configuration of the Bundle board that can be used for the game of the present invention. The game board and its surface could be designed, presented and produced differently in the future. One alternative form and different board surface could include an electronic graphic design of a Bundle Board game that players could play on the internet through email or on a particular website. Other design options include: game cards or a booklet. Any form that the game's concept would delivered through would keep the game's concept intact.

The Bundle Board invention has been thoroughly described in terms of detailed preferred embodiment to explain the games appearance, purpose, construction, use and operation. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto, and various changes and modifications may be made in the embodiment chosen for illustration or may be suggested to one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention and the appended claims. 

1-9. (canceled)
 10. A game apparatus comprising: a flat hard thick paper base, a thin paper surface that displays a grid, wherein players guess and record answers beneath one another in a baby guessing game.
 11. A game apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said grid is arranged in horizontal rows for participant's answers, and vertical columns separating each game question.
 12. A game apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said grid has a top row labeled with game questions or game instructions and the rows thereafter are allotted one per player.
 13. A game apparatus as claimed in claim 12 wherein said top row's first column is labeled: your name, instructing participants to write their name, and each column thereafter is labeled with a game question, or game instruction.
 14. A game apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said grid will appear more than once if parents are expecting, adopting or fostering more than one baby.
 15. A game apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said paper surface may be laminated and may further comprise, a décor including various: colors, designs, symbols, artwork, figures, photographs and words including: calendar dates, game titles, game captions, names or other words that relate to a baby, babies, or their arrival.
 16. A game apparatus as claimed in claim 15 wherein said paper surface may include said game caption, to illustrate the game's intent, or to highlight the game's method.
 17. A method of assembling a game board comprising: a) printing a grid and décor on a blank piece of paper; b) placing mounting tissue in between said printed paper and a hard thicker paper; c) applying pressure and heat to all three, to form one.
 18. A method of playing a question and answer baby guessing game far participation by one or mare players on a board having a flat hard paper surface, said method of play comprising in combination the steps of: a)designating one or more parents whom are expecting a baby or babies through birth, adoption or foster cart the game parents; b) designating one or more participants as players; c) presenting each player with 1 or more questions or instructions on said board, relating to said baby, babies, or details regarding their arrival; d) each player writing their name and their answers on their own game board's grid row; e) determining which participant(s) guess the most answers correctly. 